Score one for ping-pong diplomacy

The President and First Lady are on this side of the pond at the moment, and some of the most charming images of the Commander-in-Chief so far involved a doubles table tennis match in which he teamed with British Prime Minister David Cameron against some London teenagers.

They appear to have had some fun in spite of the fact that 16-year-old students beat them. And I’m really not surprised. Win or lose, I loved to play before I lost my right eye and with it, the depth perception necessary for pretty much any sport that involves making contact with a moving object.

We had a table in the basement when I was growing up, and I dominated most of the competition in my co-ed dorm room all through college. More recently there have been some very spirited marches with both Dr. Darlingand my brother on the outdoor tables at the middle school just down the street from The Penthouse-Nordic.

But I haven’t even tried to play since becoming monocular, and given that I make the Swede nervous every time I pour something into a glass or water the plants, I think it’s safe to say that table tennis would be somewhat of a (comical) stretch. I’ve reluctantly accepted the fact that my playing days are well and truly behind me.